Kristine Luken, 46Dec 18, 2010 - Kristine Luken, 46, a US citizen living in England, was stabbed to death while hiking in the hills west of Jerusalem with a friend on Saturday afternoon. Police arrested the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the murder.
Kristine Luken went hiking with her friend and guide Kay Wilson on Saturday afternoon in the hills near Mata, midway between Tsur Hadassah and Beit Shemesh. They had been hiking in the woods when two Arab men asked Wilson for water in Hebrew, she said. After they disappeared from view, Wilson became uneasy about their intentions, and told Luken they should return to Mata. As they walked toward the village, the attackers attacked, stabbing both repeatedly.
Kay, though seriously wounded, managed to escape after pretending to be dead and returned to the car park. Kristine''s body was found the following morning.
Wilson, who was holding a penknife, managed to stab one of the attackers, and his blood stains, which were used for a DNA sample, were one of the main factors which helped solve the case. Three Palestinians subsequently confessed to Luken''s murder, as well as to the murder of Neta Blatt-Sorek of Zichron Yaacov, whose body was Jimal Monastery outside Jerusalem in February 2010. The cell members'' motives were criminal at first, but turned terrorist after the assassination of senior Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January 2010.
Kristine Luken had deep spiritual ties to Israel through her involvement with CMJ - ''The Church''s Ministry among Jewish people'' - an evangelical ministry that promotes Christianity among Jews. Wilson and Luken met in 2007 when both were participants on a study tour called "Walking with Jesus in His Jewish World". Following the tour, Luken left a 16-year career at the US Department of Education and joined the staff of CMJ in Nottingham, England.
Kristine Luken is survived by her parents and siblings. |
